What's the Game?

“He’s (or she’s) got game,” “put on your game face,” “I’m game” – just a few of the expressions in daily life that express positive and active states of being and doing through the use of the word “game.” This sense of the game aspect of life is crucial to the forward movement and clear thinking necessary to achieve the objective at hand.

Earlier this past week, I was feeling pretty unfocused. Started out with a little flu, a little fight with a loved one and a lot of procrastination on boring tasks that needed to be completed – long story short, I was “off my game.” Fortunately, like a super-hero come to save the day, my inner improviser kicked in to ask -- “What’s the game here?”

Just like you do in improv – find the game and the scene will reveal itself. “What’s the game?” Once the question was on the table, I was able to take a simple “adjustment” – there’s a game here, and I have to get “out of my head” and “into the game” -- back to that state of play, where the difficult tasks at hand had a definable purpose, a clear focus, and a playful sense of self-competition, as in – “Okay, self, I dare you to get this done and enjoy it.” Once I had “found the game” I was “on my game” and moving happily and productively forward!

Tavis Smiley on Jazz

This week, on Tavis Smiley's PBS talk show, Ben Ratliff, jazz critic for the New York Times talked about Jazz and improvisation. At the end of the interview, Tavis said what he loves about jazz is that in playing together, "everybody finds his own voice."

 This is the beauty of improvisational acting as well. As you work with the other players, as you focus on your interaction with others, you find your own voice. 

That's what we do at Laughter For A Change -- encourage and celebrate people finding their own voice.